1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of amusement devices, particularly teeter-totters. Specifically, the invention relates to a single rider teeter-totter balanced with elastic members.
2. Background
Teeter-totters, also known as seesaws, have long been popular items of playground equipment for children. Teeter-totters come in various configurations, but most are fundamentally similar. In the most basic configuration, a teeter-totter can be simply a plank supported near its center for pivotal movement.
A variation of the conventional two-rider teeter-totter is one adapted for use by a single rider. One-sided, single-rider teeter-totters typically consist of a pivoting seat with a counterbalance, such as a spring, to balance the rider's weight. The rider rides up and down on the seat in a bouncing manner against the elastic resistance of the spring or other counterbalance device. Early versions of such teeter-totters are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 935,854 issued to Linerode and U.S. Pat. No. 1,533,261 issued to Pattison. An improved spring balanced single rider teeter-totter is shown in Applicant's earlier U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/473,636, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Applicant's earlier spring-balanced teeter-totter provides a highly enjoyable riding experience; however, the spring mechanism is somewhat costly. A similar teeter-totter may be more economically produced using elastic cords or bands to provide the counterbalancing resistance.